EGB, Sept. 2009

In coordination with green-building councils worldwide, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is helping kick off the inaugural World Green Building Day on Wednesday, Sept. 23, by leading a group of green-building practitioners, including architects, engineers, builders, planners, contractors, and building owners, to advocate for climate-change legislation on Capitol Hill. With U.S. lawmakers considering action this fall on energy and climate legislation, including several green-building provisions, the USGBC has organized a “Congressional Advocacy Day” for nearly 80 advocates from the United States to visit and meet with more than 130 members of Congress and their staff. [More]

USGBC Announces Award Winners, Grant Recipients

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has awarded the 2009 Excellence in Green Building Curriculum Recognition Awards and Incentive Grants to organizations and institutions spurring existing green-building-education projects, activities, or programs and developing new green-building curricula. The initiative is a central component of the USGBC’s commitment to identify and disseminate green-building curricula to educators across the country. [More]

ASHRAE Proposes Changes to Standard’s IAQ Procedure

The proposed changes open for review in Addendum r of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2007, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality, focus on the indoor-air-quality (IAQ) procedure, which is a performance-based approach to compliance with the standard, and allows designers to adjust the ventilation requirements for a building or space based on performance factors that are unique to the building. These performance factors could include the use of low-emitting materials in the space or the known presence of a contaminant source. [More]

Higher-Education Leaders to Discuss Climate Change

Higher-education leaders, signatories of the American College & Universities Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), and Columbia College Chicago will be hosting a conference beginning Wednesday, Oct. 14, to discuss climate change and share strategies for integrating sustainability into the curriculum and operations to help achieve climate neutrality. GreenTown is a zero-waste, carbon-neutral event. Columbia College Chicago will host a pre-conference session, bringing together leaders in the higher-education sector to detail what other institutions are doing to combat climate change and craft their colleges’ and universities’ climate action plan. [More]

EGB Calendar

EGB Conference Walk-ins Welcome

Online registration for the Engineering Green Buildings (EGB) Conference & Expo has closed, but you can still register to attend this year’s event. On-site registration will be open from 8:00 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, through Friday, Sept. 25, at the Nashville Convention Center.

Remember, your $595 EGB registration provides access to all of the following:

• HVACR Week Thursday Evening Extravaganza—Join other attendees and exhibitors at the Wildhorse Saloon for an evening of refreshments and live entertainment. Sponsored by Rheem and LG Commercial Air Conditioning.

The Grundfos Pump Handbook The Grundfos Pump Handbook was developed for engineers and technicians who work with design and the installation of pumps and pumping systems in their daily work. This handbook includes answers to a wide range of technical questions. Chapter topics include: Design of Pumps and Motors, Installation and Performance Reading, System Hydraulics, Performance Adjustment of Pumps, and Life Cycle Costs Calculation. Don’t miss out on this useful tool! To order your free copy, please visit www. grundfos.com/cbs.

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Waxman-Markey, cap and trade, smart-grid infrastructure, real-time pricing, demand response, on-site energy storage — never has there been a more fascinating — or challenging — time to pursue the field of energy or facility management, as we are experiencing the convergence of three long-gestating trends that will forever change the way we purchase, manage, and consume energy. Energy-price volatility peaked during the summer of 2008, and as expected, consumption behavior started to change. Environmental awareness (i.e., global warming) hit its tipping point around 2006/2007, evolving from a social to a legislative issue that no longer could be ignored or deferred. Lastly, energy efficiency emerged as one of the most dynamic segments of the energy industry, driven primarily by the goal of keeping rising energy costs in check. [More]

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